Monday, March 23
LOUISVILLE, KY
12 PM
University of Louisville
vs
No. 6 Alabama
Photo by: David Sutherland | Louisville Athletics
No. 3 Cardinals Set to Face No. 6 Alabama in Second Round
March 22, 2026 | Women's Basketball
The Cardinals are looking to advance to the Sweet 16 for the 13th time in program history
LOUISVILLE, Ky. — The No. 3 seed Louisville women's basketball team (28-7) has one final home game at the KFC Yum! Center on Monday and a trip to the Sweet 16 will be on the line. The Cardinals are set to face off with No. 6 Alabama (24-10) on Monday, March 23 with tip off set for 12 p.m. ET. The game will be broadcast nationally on ESPN.
The Cardinals are coming off a 72-52 win in the first round over No. 14 seed Vermont on Saturday while Alabama had a 68-55 win over No. 11 seed Rhode Island in the opening round. This is the first time the two teams will meet in the NCAA Tournament in program history. This is the first time since 2023 that the Cardinals have faced an SEC opponent in the tournament. They defeated Ole Miss in the Sweet 16 back in 2023. It is the first time since 2024 that Alabama has faced an ACC opponent in the tournament, when they defeated Florida State in the first round.
In the Cards win over the Catamounts, four different players scored in double figures. It was the 34th time this season that the Cards had three or more players score in double figures. The Cards were led by Mackenly Randolph, who had a career-high 20 points and tied a career high with 11 rebounds. It was her fourth career double-double and they have all come in the last 5 games. Over her last four games, Randolph has averaged 14.6 points, 9.2 rebounds and 3.0 assists per game while shooting 51.9% from the floor.
Tajianna Roberts (12 points), Laura Ziegler (12 points) and Imari Berry (10 points) rounded out the Louisville quartet in double figures against Vermont. Roberts had a team-high four assists and she has led the team in assists in a team-best 12 games this year. Ziegler tallied seven rebounds against the Catamounts and she leads the team with 6.8 rebounds per game this season.
Date: Monday, March 23
Time: 12 p.m. ET
Site: Louisville, Ky. | KFC Yum! Center (22,090)
TV: ESPN (Wes Durham, play-by-play; Angela Taylor, analyst)
Radio: 93.9-FM The Ville (Nick Curran, play-by-play; Cortnee Walton, analyst)
Series History: Louisville trails 1-4 (0-1 home, 0-1 away, 1-2 neutral)
Last Meeting: L, 73-78 (Nov. 24, 2023 at Katy, Texas)
ABOUT THE CRIMSON TIDE
Alabama enters the second round matchup with a 24-10 record and were 7-9 in SEC play. The Crimson Tide earned a No. 6 seed and won their first round matchup, 68-55, over No. 11 Rhode Island after the Cards' win over Vermont on Saturday. The Tide had a number of common opponents of the Cards this season as they beat Clemson (72-48) and Kentucky (64-51) while they dropped two games to South Carolina and split two games against Tennessee. Alabama is one of the best teams in the country from behind the arc as they rank 14th nationally with a 36.1% three-point percentage. Jessica Timmons is fourth in the SEC with a 40.0 three-point percentage. Naomi Jones ranks fourth in the SEC and 23rd nationally with 1.9 blocks per game this season.
Crimson Tide Tournament History - This is the 15th NCAA tournament appearance in program history for Alabama. The Crimson Tide has advanced to the Sweet 16 six times and made one Final Four in program history. This is the third-straight tournament the Crimson Tide have advanced to the second round. Alabama has not made the Sweet 16 since the 1998 NCAA Tournament when they defeated UCLA in the second round.
Series History - This will be the sixth meeting between Louisville and Alabama in program history and the first time in Louisville since the 1983-84 season. The Cardinals trail 1-4 in the all-time series but are 1-1 under head coach Jeff Walz. The Cardinals fell to the Crimson Tide at the Betty Chancellor Classic in Katy, Texas over the Thanksgiving holiday in their most recent meeting back in 2023. The Cards won the previous matchup back in 2008 at the Nugget Classic in Reno, Nev.
Last Meeting (Nov. 24, 2023) - The No. 20/15 Louisville women's basketball team (4-1) dropped its first game of the year in a 78-73 result against Alabama (6-0) on Friday afternoon at the Merrell Center in the first game of the Betty Chancellor Classic. In a game that was tied 12 times and had nine lead changes, the Crimson Tide finished the game on a 9-4 win to come away with the win. Nina Rickards picked up her fifth career double-double and the first with the Cardinals with 10 points and a team high 10 rebounds. Sydney Taylor was in double figures for the fourth time this season with 17 points and she added four rebounds and two steals.
FOLLOW LOUISVILLE WOMEN'S BASKETBALL ON SOCIAL MEDIA
For the latest on Louisville women's basketball, visit GoCards.com, or follow the team's Instagram account at @LouisvilleWBB, X account at @LouisvilleWBB or on Facebook at facebook.com/louisvillewbb.
The Cardinals are coming off a 72-52 win in the first round over No. 14 seed Vermont on Saturday while Alabama had a 68-55 win over No. 11 seed Rhode Island in the opening round. This is the first time the two teams will meet in the NCAA Tournament in program history. This is the first time since 2023 that the Cardinals have faced an SEC opponent in the tournament. They defeated Ole Miss in the Sweet 16 back in 2023. It is the first time since 2024 that Alabama has faced an ACC opponent in the tournament, when they defeated Florida State in the first round.
In the Cards win over the Catamounts, four different players scored in double figures. It was the 34th time this season that the Cards had three or more players score in double figures. The Cards were led by Mackenly Randolph, who had a career-high 20 points and tied a career high with 11 rebounds. It was her fourth career double-double and they have all come in the last 5 games. Over her last four games, Randolph has averaged 14.6 points, 9.2 rebounds and 3.0 assists per game while shooting 51.9% from the floor.
Tajianna Roberts (12 points), Laura Ziegler (12 points) and Imari Berry (10 points) rounded out the Louisville quartet in double figures against Vermont. Roberts had a team-high four assists and she has led the team in assists in a team-best 12 games this year. Ziegler tallied seven rebounds against the Catamounts and she leads the team with 6.8 rebounds per game this season.
Date: Monday, March 23
Time: 12 p.m. ET
Site: Louisville, Ky. | KFC Yum! Center (22,090)
TV: ESPN (Wes Durham, play-by-play; Angela Taylor, analyst)
Radio: 93.9-FM The Ville (Nick Curran, play-by-play; Cortnee Walton, analyst)
Series History: Louisville trails 1-4 (0-1 home, 0-1 away, 1-2 neutral)
Last Meeting: L, 73-78 (Nov. 24, 2023 at Katy, Texas)
ABOUT THE CRIMSON TIDE
Alabama enters the second round matchup with a 24-10 record and were 7-9 in SEC play. The Crimson Tide earned a No. 6 seed and won their first round matchup, 68-55, over No. 11 Rhode Island after the Cards' win over Vermont on Saturday. The Tide had a number of common opponents of the Cards this season as they beat Clemson (72-48) and Kentucky (64-51) while they dropped two games to South Carolina and split two games against Tennessee. Alabama is one of the best teams in the country from behind the arc as they rank 14th nationally with a 36.1% three-point percentage. Jessica Timmons is fourth in the SEC with a 40.0 three-point percentage. Naomi Jones ranks fourth in the SEC and 23rd nationally with 1.9 blocks per game this season.
Crimson Tide Tournament History - This is the 15th NCAA tournament appearance in program history for Alabama. The Crimson Tide has advanced to the Sweet 16 six times and made one Final Four in program history. This is the third-straight tournament the Crimson Tide have advanced to the second round. Alabama has not made the Sweet 16 since the 1998 NCAA Tournament when they defeated UCLA in the second round.
Series History - This will be the sixth meeting between Louisville and Alabama in program history and the first time in Louisville since the 1983-84 season. The Cardinals trail 1-4 in the all-time series but are 1-1 under head coach Jeff Walz. The Cardinals fell to the Crimson Tide at the Betty Chancellor Classic in Katy, Texas over the Thanksgiving holiday in their most recent meeting back in 2023. The Cards won the previous matchup back in 2008 at the Nugget Classic in Reno, Nev.
Last Meeting (Nov. 24, 2023) - The No. 20/15 Louisville women's basketball team (4-1) dropped its first game of the year in a 78-73 result against Alabama (6-0) on Friday afternoon at the Merrell Center in the first game of the Betty Chancellor Classic. In a game that was tied 12 times and had nine lead changes, the Crimson Tide finished the game on a 9-4 win to come away with the win. Nina Rickards picked up her fifth career double-double and the first with the Cardinals with 10 points and a team high 10 rebounds. Sydney Taylor was in double figures for the fourth time this season with 17 points and she added four rebounds and two steals.
FOLLOW LOUISVILLE WOMEN'S BASKETBALL ON SOCIAL MEDIA
For the latest on Louisville women's basketball, visit GoCards.com, or follow the team's Instagram account at @LouisvilleWBB, X account at @LouisvilleWBB or on Facebook at facebook.com/louisvillewbb.
Players Mentioned
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/ Women's BasketballWBB: NCAA 2nd Round Preview Press Conference (Alabama - 3/222/26)
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